#IronAir Batteries Are Here. They May Alter the Future of Energy.

Battery tech is now entering the Iron Age.

By Darren Orf
Published: Jan 17, 2023

"Each iron-air battery is about the size of a washer/dryer set and holds 50 iron-air cells, which are then surrounded by an electrolyte (similar to the Duracell in your TV remote). Using a principle called 'reverse rusting,' the cells 'breathe' in air, which transforms the iron into iron oxide (aka rust) and produces energy. To charge it back up, a current reverses the oxidation and turns the cells back into iron.

"NASA first started experimenting with iron-air batteries back in the late 1960s, and it’s obvious why this next-gen storage system has engineers excited. For one, iron-air batteries solve a few of lithium’s biggest shortcomings right off the bat. As their name suggests, these batteries use primarily #iron, the fourth most abundant element on Earth, and ... well ... air. This tech’s adoption could help curtail the large amounts of water used to mine #lithium (not to mention alleviating the potential for #GroundwaterContamination

"Secondly, and most importantly, iron-air batteries would be 10 times cheaper, perform better, and last 17 times longer. Right now, these batteries’ primary task would be to bridge the gap when utilities need more power during peak hours, and as green energy eats up a bigger share of the energy pie, they could also crucially store excess energy on sunny days to shore up supply when the clouds roll in. Lithium-ion only provides approximately four hours of storage, whereas iron-air could deliver up to 100 hours—a full four days to bridge those energy gaps.

"The downsides to iron-air batteries? They’re big and also slow to recharge, which is likely why lithium-ion will remain the battery of choice for electric cars and smartphones. #FormEnergy also says these iron-air batteries will form 'power blocks' where iron-air batteries handle long load times, while lithium-ion batteries take care of spikes in demand."

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a42532492/iron-air-battery-energy-storage/

#RenewablesNow #IronAirBatteries
#SolarPower #WindPower #EnergyStorage #NoLithiumMining #RecycleLithium #LincolnMaine

Former Lincoln paper mill to become site of world's largest multi-day energy storage facility

by Russ Reed
August 7, 2024

LINCOLN, Maine — "A multimillion-dollar federal grant will support a multi-day #EnergyStorage system in #Maine that will be the first of its kind in New England, according to Gov. Jane Mills and members of the state's Congressional delegation.

"The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a $147 million grant to Maine to support the #RenewableEnergy project at the site of a former paper mill in Lincoln, which has been closed for nearly a decade.

"A news release from the Maine Governor's Office states that the Lincoln multi-day energy storage system would be the largest long-duration energy storage project in the world to date.

[...]

"The energy storage facility will hold enough Wwind- and Wsolar-generated power to serve up to 85,000 homes. The proposal calls for 85 megawatts of storage capacity on part of the 400-acre (162-hectare) site of the old Lincoln mill.

"The facility would be built and operated by Massachusetts-based #FormEnergy, using an #IronAir battery system that is touted as safe as well as affordable since it uses abundant iron and oxygen."

Read more:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/old-lincoln-maine-paper-mill-energy-storage-facility/61819119

#RenewablesNow #IronAirBatteries #SolarPower #WindPower #LincolnMaine